Pharma’s Future May Be Fueledby PowderPowder formulations often are faster acting than solid dosage as thebody can process the API more rapidly by ingestion or inhalation.

By Tee Nolan, Pharma Tech Industries

As pharmaceutical manufacturers attempt o survive and thrive in an increasingly intricate regulatory environment, the challenges of contract manufacturers
have become more complex than ever. Today’s
CMOs typically service a wide-ranging set of
pharmaceutical companies whose products
have equally wide compliance—and therefore,
manufacturing—requirements. One size most
certainly does not fit all.

In this environment, being a “perfect match” for
a pharma manufacturer either means being lucky
(in terms of your existing capabilities magically
aligning with a potential customer’s) or agile in
your ability to expand, alter, or reconfigure your
manufacturing capabilities. And generally, luck is a
far less reliable asset than versatility.

This flexibility takes willingness, creativity,
and expertise, but more than anything it takes
infrastructure investment. It may seem oxymoronic,
then, that the ability to quickly adapt into new
pharma manufacturing formats favors CMOs with
tried and true traditional revenue streams.

Pharma Tech is finding that the tried-and-true
dosage form of powder is helping to fast-track a
fascinating future. There’s a reason for that.

The Power of Powder

When it comes to the development of newpharmaceuticals to replenish the drug pipeline,there always is a great deal of excitement about"specialty" items, such as injectable liquidbiologics. While these may loom large and capturethe spotlight, it’s important to acknowledge thefact that traditional powder-based oral solidscontinue to hold their own—and for good reason.Oral dosage forms, such as tablets and capsules,are widely considered the most patient-acceptabledosage form. Patients and medical professionalsappreciate them for their convenience and ease ofhandling. In addition, they’re extremely stable andoffer high manufacturing throughputs that lead tofavorable manufacturing economics.Powders, however, offer some unique benefitsfrom traditional solid dose. In cases where thesheer volume of necessary API is too great to beDosage Forms